PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2, abbreviated as PS2, is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony Computer Entertainment, the successor to the PlayStation, and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3 as part of the PlayStation series of consoles. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was released a year later in Japan. The PS2 is the best-selling console to date, having reached over 140 million units in sales by mid-2008. Hardware and software compatibility The PS2 can read CD and DVD discs, including the PlayStation 2 format games and is backwards compatible with PlayStation games. It includes onboard software to play CD audio and DVD videos. The PS2 also features two controller ports, which can be expanded to 8 controllers using the MultiTap accessories. Saved games are stored on 8-megabyte memory cards which are placed in one of the two memory card slots on the front. The memory card can store PlayStation game saves, but PlayStation games cannot read from or write to the card - it can only be used as a backup. PlayStation 2 and PlayStation save files can also be backed up using the Hard Disk (HDD) add-on. The standard PlayStation 2 memory card has an 8MB capacity and uses Sony's MagicGate encryption. This requirement prevented the production of memory cards by third parties who did not purchase a license for the MagicGate encryption. The PS2's DualShock 2 controller is essentially an upgraded PlayStation DualShock; analog face, shoulder and D-pad buttons replaced the digital buttons of the original. Like its predecessor, the DualShock 2 controller has force feedback, which is commonly called the "vibration" function. The DualShock 2 featured pressure sensitive buttons and more accurate analog sticks. Online A few games such as Ratchet and Clank 3 and several WWE SmackDown vs. Raw games have an online feature. As seen on the game's packaging it should have an online logo on it. To play online Sony has released a feature called a 'Network Adapter' that can be used to play with other people online, online multiplayer on the PS2 is split between publishers and run on third-party servers. Original Case Design There are now two designs of the PlayStation 2: slim and chunky. Slim is the small one and chunky is the large one. The PS2 standard color is matte black. Several different variations in color have been produced in different quantities and regions, including ceramic white, light yellow, metallic blue (aqua), metallic silver, navy (star blue), opaque blue (astral blue), opaque black (midnight black), pearl white, Sakura purple, satin gold, satin silver, snow white, super red, and transparent blue (ocean blue). The small PlayStation logo on the front of the disc tray could be rotated ninety degrees, in order for the logo to be the right way up in both vertical and horizontal console orientations. Slimline version In September 2004, Sony made a slimline version of the PS2, the 'slimline' was and is a smaller version, it is much lighter and quieter than the chunky version. There are some disputes on the numbering for this PS2 version,needed since there are actually two sub-versions of the SCPH-70000. One of them includes the old EE and GS chips, and the other contains the newer unified EE+GS chip, but otherwise they are identical. Since the V12 version had already been established for this model, there were some disputes regarding these sub-versions. Two propositions were to name the old model (with separate EE and GS chips) V11.5 and the newer model V12, and to name the old model V12 and the newer model V13. Currently, most people use V12 for both models, or V12 for the old model and V13 for the newer one. The V12 model was first released in black, but a silver edition is available in the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, United Arab Emirates and other GCC Countries, France, Italy, South Africa, and most recently, North America. It is unknown whether or not this will follow the color schemes of the older model, although a limited edition Pink PS2 has become available since March 2007. V12 (or V13) was succeeded by V14 (SCPH-75001 and SCPH-75002), which contains integrated EE and GS chips, and different ASICs compared to previous revisions, with some chips having a copyright date of 2005, compared to 2000 or 2001 for earlier models. It also has a different lens and some compatibility issues with a different number of PlayStation games and even some PS2 games. PSX The PSX is a digital video recorder and DVD burner in addition to playing PS2 games. It was released in December 13th, 2003 and a US release date was never set, it is believed the system was sold in select locations for a brief amount of time in the United States. The PSX was poorly received in both areas, some major features were absent from the first revisions of the hardware and experienced very weak sales in spite of major price drops. The system is considered a rarity and is now selling for around $500 on eBay (currently more expensive than the PS3). Accessories Sony also released various accessories for the PS2 such as an Eyetoy, a camera that fits into a USB port in the front of the console; a USB headset and even a expansion bay. Some personalized PS2 controllers include The Simpsons, Resident Evil 4 chainsaw and digital ones with no lead. Disc read error An unknown number of early PS2 models suffered from problems reading DVD (silver bottom) discs subsequently. If you put in a Original Xbox game disk in the PS2 the PS2 will play its own Original Xbox Startup and then have it say this is a Xbox disk please put in a PS2 Disk. Heres some proof: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=985AEssjrfQ See also * PlayStation * Sony Computer Entertainment External links * PlayStation 2 - Playstation Wikia - Wikia * PlayStation 2 - SonyWiki - Wikia * Playstation 2 - Uncyclopedia - Wikia * PlayStation 2 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Category:Consoles